Rory
Activate MISTLEHOE MODE. Every ass up pose is a lethal weapon
Rory
Punch her with the ole deadly combo of frostbite & femininity
Rory
This is your 40 & Feral Era Kez better hydrate
I glare playfully at my phone and fire off a response.
Charlotte
I’m 37
Rory
40 & Feral is a STATE OF MIND. Start practicing.
Seriously though. This needs to be our next offering. Draft loading.
On second thought, I don’t hate the idea. We’ll workshop this project together when she gets back. She’s the only friend I know who can hype me up, comfort me, and launch a new income stream all at once.
Another ping.
Rory
Posting these screenshots on socials btw.
Some of my best work
Charlotte
You better not!
Rory
That one too Merry Thirstmas. Now go make Kez regret waking up attractive.
Charlotte
Turning my phone off now
I let out a breathy laugh and send Rory a final picture of the snow-kissed mountain view outside of her future office. She really is the sister I never had but always wanted. My life wouldn’t be the same without her. Before my phone dings again, I power it down, toss it into my camera bag and steady my footsteps for close-ups.
A male cardinal flashes in my peripheral. I lift the camera and zoom in on vivid red feathers against the snow-covered branch. The lens blinks. The cardinal cocks its head and darts away.
I’ve been walking for twenty minutes and have already lost sight of the cabin. Beyond the pond, a thick brush of trees surrounds the property. I trace my gaze along the nylon rope held high by wooden stakes until the string disappears in the forest. Ten acres of complete privacy and views that sell themselves.
The cold air nips at my cheeks. By the way I see my breath, I can tell my nose is probably bright red. I haven’t acclimated to the weather in the slightest, but I need space and the calm of the outdoors. I can’t sit in the kitchen, watching the way Kez’s eyes soften when she mentions her father. How could I compete with the weight of grief and childhood memories? It’s bad enough I wasn’t there when she needed me.
Then again, she was the one who fell from the face of the earth until my wedding day. I push the thought away. No point in ruminating over a past I can’t change. The camera clicks again, but I’m on autopilot, unsure of what I’m shooting anymore.
Snow crunches beneath my boots as I walk toward the cabin. My mind vacillates between guilt and a viable solution to not lose my dreams. I’ll wait her out. She’ll have to return to work, eventually. Unlike me. Unlimited PTO is a perk of running a business you love that rarely feels like work. But the thought of her leaving, slipping out of my life again is more painful than I care to admit. The thought shouldn’t sting this much after everything that’s happened between us, but it does.
I won’t give in to her again. Timing has never been on our side. It wasn’t back then and isn’t now. Maybe it never will be. For years, she occupied my mind, even on my wedding day. A day I’ll never forget. Not only because I married Eli.
